About Uganda

Quick Facts

  • The country of Uganda is similar to the size of the state of Oregon
  • Half of the population is under the age of 15 years old
  • There are millions of orphans in Uganda due to civil war, malnutrition and disease
  • Uganda is located on the Equator
  • Lake Victoria borders Uganda in the south and is one of the largest lakes in the world
  • The Source of the Nile River is found in Uganda

 

History and Background

Uganda is a land-locked country located on the equator in East Africa.  It borders Lake Victoria, the largest freshwater lake in the world.  It is a beautiful country which includes urban areas, rural villages, and protected national parks where one can find many wild animals, including elephants, giraffes, and mountain gorillas. The United Kingdom ruled Uganda from 1894 to 1962, when the country gained its independence.

Football (soccer) is the national sport in Uganda.  Playing football is very popular, as is cheering on the national football team, the Ugandan Cranes.

Education is largely based on repetition and memorization.  School fees must be paid in order to attend school, and students must pass exams in order to progress to the next grade.

Uganda remains one of the world’s poorest countries, with approximately one-third of the population living below the poverty line and a per capita income of approximately $250 per year.  This is an average of 68 cents per day, per person.

Uganda has one of the highest population growth rates in the world.  The country’s current (2022) population of 48,322,744 is projected to explode to 130,000,000 by 2050, nearly a five-fold increase.  Women in Uganda have an average of 6.81 children.

HIV prevalence in Uganda is 6.2% with approximately 1,200,000 adults and 95,000 children living with HIV.  The life expectancy in Uganda is just 63 years old.  Other life threatening diseases are prevalent in Uganda as well.  For example, in 2020 the WHO reported that there were an estimated 20.4 million cases of malaria and over 30,900 estimated deaths in the country due to malaria. Uganda has the 3rd highest global burden of malaria cases. Deaths among young adults leave behind millions of orphaned children, placing a burden on the community and the country.  In 2020 UNICEF calculated there were over 2 million orphans in Uganda.